Next-stop-information sign in passenger trains



W. BERMAN NEXT STOP INFORMATION SIGN IN PASSENGER TRAINS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 24, 1923 I O I 7 2 F EEC-:32 f Eri 3: 1

INVENTOR Dec. 15, 1925 193 W. BERMAN NEXT STOP INFORMATION SIGN IN PASSENGER TRAINS Filed May 24, 1923 Sheets Sheet FIG- 2- INVENTOR Dec. 15 1925- W*: BERMAN 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR :mm /WM Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

PATENT OFFICE.

WOLF BERMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

NEXT-STOP-INFORMATION SIGN IN PASSENGER TRAINS.

Application filed May 24, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVoLF BERMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, county and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Next-Stop-Information Signs in Passenger Trains, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a sign structure in combination with a next stop information rolling sign for passenger trains which shows the name of the next stopping station from the time before the train starts out, during its running, until it arrives at the next station, and the object thereof is to pre vent excitement amongst those passengers who did not hear the calling out of the next stop of the train, and believing the train to be nearing their station, would have to get up from their seats while the cars are in motion and push themselves through crowded cars to 'find out the next step.

Another object of my invention is to eliminate trouble to train passengers who have requested conductor to let them off at their station, and after being promised it will be done, they rely absolutely on that promise and fail to watch the stations. Many conductors when very busy forget their promise to said passengers or remember only when. too late, thus causing trouble and annoy ance to said passengers, who lose time and fail in keepmg appointments, for all of which they blame the conductor. The said next stop information signs for passenger trains will eliminate all this.

Additional advantages of my invention are as follows:

Means for securing said next stop information signfor passenger trains to the front and rear ends inside passenger cars at a height as near ceiling as practicable for enabling passengers in trains to read said sign from their seats at either end of the car with the means, too, for operating said sign with in convenient reach of any person without the necessity of elevating himself towards and would not be seen perfectly and when Serial No. 641,166.

rollers, and to have the letters naming the stopping stations on the rolling sheet 011 the front rollers close to the glass at the front of said next stop information sign in an up and down straight movable position, because without said front rollers when the rear upper or lower roller gets thicker than the other, then the letters at the front reading space would appear in a bended position and passengers in cars would be unable to read said bended letters at a glance as the straight letters appearing on the front rollers. Moreover when having said rolling sheet on two rollers only, when the bigger part of said rolling sign would be rolled up on the upper roller, the lower part of the letters would he at a distance from the glass the bigger part of said rolling sign would be rolled up on the lower roller then the upper part of the letters naming the stations would be at a distance from the glass at the front and would not be seen properly.

Means for controlling the operation of said sign by one person only, preventing others from changing the name of the next stopping station on said sign to mislead some passengers 011 train.

Special means and devices are combined in this invention, all of which are described, in reference to the accompanying drawings annexed to specification in which Figure 1 is a front view of saidnext stop information sign as a whole, parts being broken out.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1. i

Fig. 3 is a side elevation.

Fig. t represents an upright rail of the inside frame work.

Fig. 5 represents a bearing block of a roller.

6 represents an auxiliary inside frame having upper and lower front rollers.

General construction.

Numeral 29 (in Figure 2) is a short cross rail baring projections or tenons 29 at both ends, the tenons projecting into notches or mortises 29 formed in the rails 30 and 30 30 is a front rail; 30* is a. rear rail, said front and rear rails secured to three of said short cross rails into said recessed ends forming a base structure; each of two of said short cross rails, hasanotch 281 at its centre; 27 (in Figure 4 is an upright side rail provided with upper and lower notches 27 at its front and with a tongue 28 at its bottom, said notches being recessed through sides and slanting at the top from front to back; two of said upright rails secured to two of said short cross rails in an upright position connecting tongue 28 of said upright rail with notch at said short cross rail; 33 (in Figure 5) is a bearing block provided with a centre hole through its sides, two bolt holes through its front and back and with a slanted top from front, to back for easy connection into slanted notches at said upright rails; 12 (in Figure is an upper roller comprising a pintle 23, extending from its right end, a second pintle extending from its left end, each of said pintles cooperating with one of said bearings 33, adapted to be rolled therein; said pintle at the right provided with a sprocket wheel; 38 (in Figure 1) secured thereto; 13 is a lower roller comprising a pintle 24- extending from its right, a second pintle extending from its left, each of said pintles provided with one of said bearings, said pintle at the right provided with a sprocket wheel 39 (in Figure 1) and with a bevel gear numeral 42 both secured to said pintle; (in Figure 1) is a sprocket chain connecting said sprocliet wheels 38 and 39 compelling said upper and lower rollers to roll together; 26 (in Figure 6) are two long plates or angle pieces connecting with said upright rails 27 and with said bearings 33 after said bear ings on rollers are placed into upper and lower notches at said upright rails by placing bolts through holes at said plates, bearings and through said upright rails, tightening said bolts by nuts, therewith holding said bearings in a rigid and steady position when said rollers are engaged in rolling therein; said rolling sign including rollers can easily be disconnected from said sign structure because said bearings and notches at said upright rails are slanted from front to back and when the nuts on said bolts are taken off then said plates disconnect and then said bearings, rollers and the rolling sign on them can easily be removed from Sign structure when the train changes its course along a different route, and another rolling sign corresponding with stopping stations of the different routes can be re placed in said structure; 25 (in Figure (3) representing two wings of an auxiliary inside frame, each secured to one of said long plates figure 26 and connected by a bottom plate 25 provided with an upper roller 31 having a pintle 23 and a lower roller 31., having a pintle therewith forming a steady reading space at the front of said sign between said upper and lower front rollers in which the name of the next stopping station of the train will appear in said reading space by operating said sign before the train leaves a station.

Numeral 14 (in Figure 2) is a rolling strip provided with names of all the stopping stations of the train the upper end of said rolling strip secured to the upper roller at said upright rails in a rolling position; from there said rolling sign is extended to the front rollers between said wings cover ing said upper and lower rollers at the front, and then the lower end of said rolling sign is extended to the lower roller at said upright rails secured thereto in a rolling position; the space between said upper and lower front rollers provides for a permanent reading space at the front of the sign. and the letters appearing in said reading space in a straight position while same letters at the rear rollers are bent on rollers the bigger part of. said sign being rolled on one of said rollers; when moving said sprocket chain up or down the names of the stopping stations are changed in said reading space.

Numeral 1'? (in Figure 2) is a cover secured to said upright rails extended to the front covering upper and lower front rails and the rolling strip 18 is a reinforcing plat secured to said upright rails under said roof; 19 is a door connected to said roof by hinges 2t); 15 is the reading space at the structure recessed through said door and 16 is the glass in said reading space.

L8 and 49 (in Figure 3) represent a sliding block, 50 and 51 showing the top of said block mounted on said front and rear rails 30 and 30 in a slidablc position and secured thereto by bolts when not sliding; 48 is a spindle; 41 is a bevel gear secured to one end of said spindle; is a sprocket wheel secured to the other end of spindle, both of said ends projecting into bearings adapted to be rolled therein; said bearings are placed into said block and secured therein: said bevel gear adapted to be engaged with the bevel gear 42 at the lower roller at said upright rails in a rolling position; therewith lUU engaging said upper and lower rollers in rolling said front and rear rails at the base structure extending from said sliding block to stops 52 which is the sliding limit for said block when unbolted from said rails, then said block can be slid to its limit for permit: ting said signroller including its rollers to pass out from said structure after being re moved from said upright rails and then permitting another rolling sign and rollers to enter in structure to be replaced into said upright rails; then said block is slid back to its normal position and secured thereto by bolts; 11 (in Figure is a casing open at its top and secured to said sliding block, sliding together with said block extending from the bottom structure downward within a convenient reach of a person; 47 is a bracket placed in said casing and secured therein to its lower part; eta is'a spindle provided with a sprocket wheel 36 secured thereto, said spindle and wheel secured into said block at said casing in a rolling position said sprocket wheel in the plane of the sprocket wheel 35 at said block above. 37 is a sprocket chain connecting said sprocket wheels in a movable position; 45 is a square end of said spindle projecting from said block at the front; 46 is a recessed part through the door of said casing through which an attachable handle is connected with said spindle at said square end adapted to be turned right or left, setting in motion said four sprocket wheels, two sprocket chains, two bevel gears, four rollers and said rolling sign therewith showing different names of stopping stations at the front of said sign; showing one station at a time only in said reading space and therefore by turning said attachable handle carried by one of the door trainmen the next stop will appear on said sign before the train leaves and during the time of its running until it arrives at the next station, therewith enabling passengers in trains to know the next stop at all times during their travel.

I claim 1. In a changeable stop sign of the class set forth, the combination of a casing comprising two vertical side rails each having notches formed at its front edge, one above the other. a pair of bearing blocks fitted removably in said notches, a pair of main rollers journaled horizontally in the bearing blocks aforesaid, a flexible strip for stop names attached to and rolled upon the respective rollers. a window arranged in front of the rollers through which the names are readable in succession, guiding means to maintain the reading space of the strip at a constant position with respect to the window, and means under the control of an operator for rotating the rollers in either direction for adjusting the strip according to the stops.

Mechanism as set forth in claim 1 in which the notches of the side rails are flared forward and upward to facilitate the admission of the bearing blocks.

3. Mechanism as set forth in claim 1 in which the means for adjusting the rollers and the strip thereon includes gearing between the rollers, the gearing for one of the rollers including an additional gear, and.

means geared with the last mentioned gear and extending downward therefrom to a point within easy reach of the operator.

4-. Mechanism as set forth in claim 1 in which the guiding means for the name strip comprises a pair of rollers journaled horizontally just within the window and parallel thereto.

5. In mechanism as set forth, the combination of a casing including a base, a pair of vertical side rails fixed to and extending upward from the base, a cover for the casing, and a front door having a window at the front of the casing, pairs of horizontally aligned bearing blocks xed removably to said side rails, adjustable name mechanism journaled in said bearing blocks and visible close within said window, said casing being adapted to be secured close to the top of either end of a railway ear, and means for manually adjusting the name mechanism, said adjustment means including an auxiliary casing extending downward from one end of the base of the main casing aforesaid, the lower end of the auxiliary casing being within easy reach of the operator from the floor of the car, and gearing extending upward along the auxiliary casing and co-opcrating with the rollers aforesaid.

6. Mechanism-as set forth in claim 5 in which the gearing between the auxiliary casing and the main casing includes co-operating beveled gears.

7 Mechanism as set forth in claim 5 in which the gearing between the auxiliary and main casings is readily separable, and the auxiliary casing is shiftable laterally from the main casing to effect such separation and the removal of the sign mechanism from the main casing.

8. Mechanism as set forth in claim 5 in which the base of the main casing is extended laterally beyond the sign mechanism and carries stop means and the auxiliary casing is movable laterally along the base extension into and out of engagement with said stop mechanism to limit its lateral movement.

9. In sign mechanism as set forth, the combination with a main casing including a vase extending laterally at one end from the main casing and terminating in stop means and a sign strip journaled for adjustment in the main casing and secured therein removably through the front of the casing, of

- means for adjusting the sign strip compris ing an auxiliary casing supported upon and shiftable laterally along the base extension toward and from said stop ineans, gearing carried by the auxiliary casing and cooperating in operative position with the adjustable strip means but being separable therefrom when the auxiliary casing is shifted laterally toward the stop means for providing a clearance for removing and interchanging the sign mechanism from the main easing, said gearing in the auxiliary casing comprising upper and lower spindles, a sprocket Wheel on each spindle, a sprocket chain operating over said Wheels the lower spindle be ing shaped to be operated by a crank by an operator stationed on the floor, and the upper spindle being provided with gear connections for operation of the sign mechanism.

WOLF BERMAN. 

